Civil Defense in School1959

Educational

American

23m

3.5

"The threat of disaster is never pleasant," our narrator begins. But the old perils like tornados and fires are nothing compared to those looming in "the age of the atom." This alarming short from the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization barely stops short of recommending miniature cities be built under schools to protect our youth from the aftereffects of the Big One getting dropped on Anytown, U.S.A. We see how "citizens of the nuclear age" form city committees to formulate a "total community survival plan," including underground fallout shelters elaborate enough to sustain life for some time (in case the kiddies don't have time to take the bus back to their homes where, presumably, they will be just fine). Aimed at school staff, administration and parents, this Cold War relic cheerfully insists, "protection from nuclear attack is possible!" Because, naturally, it would calm no one to admit, "if and when it hits, you're going to be toast." - Dennis Harvey